By Ray Hickson
Goulburn trainer Pat Murphy has had his first stroke of luck for the $150,000 Evergreen Turf South East Country Championships (1400m) at Nowra and he’s hoping his honest mare Sass ‘N’ Cheek can take full advantage.
The scratching of one of the fancied runners, Tavolo, on Saturday morning paved the way for the six-year-old, who was first emergency, to secure a run.
The $150,000 South East Country Championships (1400m) will be the highlight of the Nowra meeting.Credit: Jenny Evans
“Things happen for a reason sometimes,” Murphy said.
“We planned this race after the Highway win, which is hard to do because of the timing, but she’s ready to go.
“Obviously, this area is hard and we took a punt to get in and it paid off, so hopefully there’s a great result.”
Murphy had to work out the right path for Sass ‘N’ Cheek after she won a Highway at Rosehill in November and he spaced her runs banking on getting enough of a ratings boost to make the field in the traditionally strong district.
As it turned out, her fourth placings at Randwick and Canterbury left her stranded as an emergency, leaving connections facing a wait until the Wild Card next month for their shot at a berth in the $1 million Final in April.
Now she’s in the field, Murphy sees her lead-up as ideal and would welcome the expected genuine tempo at Nowra.
“I’ve been very happy with both runs, there were excuses in both. They were pass marks at the minimum,” he said.
“She could have won more races if she looked after herself better in the run. She’s not naughty, she’s just competitive and a few times she hasn’t switched off.
“We got too far back at Canterbury, you know what Canterbury is like, and while the track has been racing well you can’t maintain a run from the 600m on.
“A high-pressure race is better for her, she looks great and her gallop on Friday was lovely in preparation for this. She’s where she needs to be.”
There’s no doubt Tavolo’s scratching would have disappointed trainer Rob Potter but given it was on vet’s advice she will be eligible to run in the Wild Card at Goulburn on March 23.
